In peacetime, natural disaster and epidemic prevention and control is seen as a “combat mission” of the Military. To successfully fulfil this mission, leaderships and commands at all levels should synchronously implement various measures, with a focus on building and improving cadres and soldiers’ politico-spiritual factor as a matter of importance and urgency.

Nowadays, the world is facing serious non-traditional security challenges. Natural disasters, epidemics, climate change, and cyber security issues have been increasingly complex for all nations. Typical example of a non-traditional security challenge is COVID-19 pandemic. Non-traditional security challenges have been more widely and deeply impacting on Vietnam. According to documents of the 13th National Party Congress, “natural disasters, epidemics, social security issues, and non-traditional security challenges continue to be complicated.” Therefore, in order to prevent and combat non-traditional security challenges, it is vital to encourage the Party’s leadership, the State’s management, the people’s participation, and especially the role of special importance of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA).

Over the years, under the Party’s leadership and the State’s management, the Central Military Commission (CMC) and the Ministry of National Defence (MND) have actively, proactively adopted many measures to respond to non-traditional security challenges, with importance attached to arousing and promoting the politico-spiritual factor as the basis for combining all resources and creating synergy for effectively preventing and combating non-traditional security challenges. As a result, cadres and soldiers of the VPA have considered this work as a political task of utmost importance and a “combat mission in peacetime.” They have always played a pioneering role and showed no fear of hardships or dangers for the people’s peaceful life. Participating in natural disaster and especially COVID-19 prevention and control has asserted the VPA’s vanguard role, determination, and spirit of sacrificing for the people and contributed to bolstering the noble virtues of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers” in the new period.

In the upcoming time, non-traditional security challenges will continue having complex, unpredictable developments. According to documents of the 13th National Party Congress, “climate change, natural disasters, and epidemics will unceasingly negatively impact on our country’s development.” Thus, more demanding requirements will be imposed on the building of the politico-spiritual factor to achieve a consensus within the Military and ensure that the VPA will always play a core, vanguard role in non-traditional security challenge prevention and control. To that end, emphasis should be placed on well implementing several measures and tasks as follows.

First, raise the awareness and responsibility of organsiations and forces towards the promotion of the Military’s politico-spiritual factor in non-traditional security challenge prevention and control. Taking this measure will guarantee a sense of responsibility of organisations and forces for non-traditional security challenge prevention and control. Offices and units should focus on seriously grasping resolutions, directives, and guiding documents by the Party, the State, the CMC, and the MND on non-traditional security challenge prevention and control to enable their troops to clearly understand the characteristics and sphere of influence of non-traditional security challenges, the VPA’s role, and the importance of bringing into play the politico-spiritual factor in the prevention and control process. Troops must be fully aware that taking part in non-traditional security challenge prevention and control represents a routine important task, a continuation of the virtues and tradition of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers,” and a “combat mission of the VPA in peacetime.” Moreover, all-level leaderships and commands should frequently grasp practical situations and issues to opportunely work towards guidelines and measures for promoting the politico-spiritual factor. At the same time, it is essential to disseminate the Military’s natural disaster and especially COVID-19 prevention and control so that organisations and forces will be imbued with the spirit of sacrificing for the people. Doing so will help encourage troops to overcome all difficulties, sacrifice themselves for the people’s peaceful life, and spread the noble virtues of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers” in the new period.

Second, correctly identify and flexibly, creatively employ contents, forms, and methods of bringing into play the VPA’s politico-spiritual factor in non-traditional security challenge prevention and control. To do so, due attention should be paid to arousing and enhancing values of true patriotism and revolutionary heroism as well as glorious traditions of the nation and the Military. Besides, it is essential to arouse troops’ determination to surmount difficulties and successfully fulfil this important task. Offices and units should actively, proactively fight to foil hostile forces’ distortions of the Military’s non-traditional security challenge prevention and control aimed at undermining the close-knit bond between the Party, the State, the VPA, and the people. In the process, offices and units should flexibly, creatively employ forms and methods of promoting the politico-spiritual factor, step up the work of propagation and political education, and organise forums and Determination to Win Emulation Movement to encourage, commend, and multiply “good people, good deed” examples, typical examples, and particularly heroic sacrifices in natural disaster and COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control. Due regard should be paid to synchronously carrying out party and political work and closely combining ideological work with organisational work and policy work in natural disaster and epidemic prevention and control. Offices and units should keep raising the quality and effectiveness of mass mobilisation work in today’s non-traditional security challenge prevention and control.

Third, well organising training courses and exercises will practically help cadres and soldiers to master projects and situations in non-traditional security challenge prevention and control. Doing so will also enable offices and units to improve their troops’ determination to overcome all difficulties and successfully fulfil the task of non-traditional security challenge prevention and control. Offices and units should concentrate on developing programmes, contents, and plans of training and exercises relating to non-traditional security challenge prevention and control, while raising the quality of training courses and exercises on natural disaster, environmental incident, and epidemic prevention and control as well as on search and rescue to avoid falling into passivity. They should actively, proactively, sufficiently prepare facilities for missions. They should hold periodic and routine training courses and exercises so that troops could grasp the goals and requirements of their tasks, improve their skills, and maintain close, synchronous, scientific coordination. Exercises on non-traditional security challenge prevention and control should be organised “directly, practically, and effectively” under the four-on-the-spot motto. Offices and units should proactively cooperate with localities and relevant forces in reviewing, adjusting, and supplementing projects and plans for non-traditional security challenge prevention and control.

Fourth, mobilise synergy created by organisations and forces and encourage their participation in non-traditional security challenge prevention and control. To effectively bring into play the Military’s politico-spiritual factor in this important task, it is necessary to promote the synergy of all forces and organisations and encourage the participation of the entire political system, offices, and sectors from central to local levels, particularly all-level party organisations, commands, competent offices, and mass organisations within the VPA. It is essential to more effectively maintain coordination between the Military and organisations and forces, especially between the VPA and local party committees and authorities, the Public Security Force, politico-social organisations, and local citizens in non-traditional security challenge prevention and control. Offices and units should give advice to local party committees and authorities on developing, reviewing, supplementing, and completing plans and projects in a highly feasible manner. At the same time, there should be mechanisms of management and command in a direct, practical, effective way to create the synergy, opportunely deal with situations, and minimise loss of life and assets. Due regard should be paid to renewing and perfecting policies to ensure the material and mental life of cadres and soldiers tasked with non-traditional security challenge prevention and control.

Fifth, frequently conduct reviews and develop theories about the promotion of the Military’s politico-spiritual factor in non-traditional security challenge prevention and control nowadays. This measure is of importance to bringing into play strong points and achievements and opportunely settling weaknesses and shortcomings to raise the effectiveness of the VPA’s politico-spiritual factor in non-traditional security challenge prevention and control. Hence, competent offices within the Military should enhance reviews of this task as the basis for correctly anticipating situations and opportunely advising the Party and the State on strategies to successfully respond to non-traditional security challenges. Due attention should be paid to learning from other countries’ experience in preventing and responding to non-traditional security challenges. Theories of non-traditional security challenge prevention and response should be supplemented and completed. At the same time, it is vital to propose, promulgate, and effectively implement regulations and projects on coordination between the VPA, the Public Security Force, and other forces in non-traditional security challenge prevention and control.

Maj. Gen., Associate Prof. DANG SY LOC^*, PhD

Sr. Col., Associate Prof. VO VAN HAI^**, PhD

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* Deputy Director of Political Academy, MND

** Deputy Commandant of Institute of Military Social Sciences and Humanities, Political Academy